Well I checked with my instructor at the LYS and she gently told me that the store did expect me to by my yarn there for class projects. However, she was nice enough to suggest that I could make the hood of the Wallaby in a stockinette stitch, rather the garter stitch and that would take a lot less yarn.

So now I have 14 balls of bright pink KP Shine Worsted on the way to me... What else could I make with it?

Yes, I've been told I'm not welcome in our single LYS - not even to sit, socialize and knit, let alone take any kind of class - unless I'm using yarn and needles, etc. bought from that store.

So I sit and knit in other public places and send interested people to Joanne's or Michaels for supplies! Long live park benches. Long live doctors' offices. Long live senior centers. Long live libraries. And so on.

I'm a firm believer in Depression-style knitting: you do not have to spend a bundle to create wonderful, useful and durable items for all you love. Bobby pins work better than cable needles, IMHO!

Yes, I've been told I'm not welcome in our single LYS - not even to sit, socialize and knit, let alone take any kind of class - unless I'm using yarn and needles, etc. bought from that store.

Yikes. That's a bit much and would turn me off, too. Any yarn store would prefer you buy yarn there after all it is a business, but that's ridiculous. When I first started going to my LYS I didn't use their yarn, but it wasn't long before I fell under the spell of all that yarn and now I do buy yarn there for many projects. That should be the goal of a good yarn store.. draw you in with camaraderie and helpfulness and then they have you forever and you WANT to buy from them!

__________________
Jan

When asking questions ALWAYS post the name and a link for the pattern if you have it.

I agree with those who stated above that you should ask PRIOR to taking the class if you need to purchase materials there. I worked in a LYS and most are small business owners who are trying to make a living just like everyone else. The amount of help provided in most classes far outweighs the cost being charged to students. So in the end, the profit is made by the purchase of materials.

Hope none of this comes off too strong, but having worked in a LYS I have an understanding for skyrocketing rents, minimum yarn orders, and trying to provid quality customer service piled on top of trying to make a living.

I work part-time and teach in a LYS and ready2knit has hit the nail on the head so accurately. I just wanted to add a few points.

1) Remember that the cost of the class is paying for the knowledge/expertise of the skill you are seeking from the person teaching. In other words, the fee is for the instructor not necessarily the store. Keep in mind that the instructor at some time had to master the skills they are teaching you which takes time and their time is therefore worth money. Also, the instructor likely had to put gas in the vehicle to get to the class to teach you or had to hire a babysitter or any other multitude of possible expenses which you do not necessarily see.

2) The store may or may not benefit financially from the actual class fees depending on the teacher/owner agreement. If the store does get financial benefit, keep in mind that it costs the store owner to provide hydro so you can see what you are learning as well as heat at this time of the year (both of which if the store is not normally open during class time can be additional costs to the owner). So, any profit to the store is often made through the sale of supplies for the class. Generally, stores will offer students discounts on supplies.

LYS owners generally love to knit and want to share this love with others. As ready2knt so eloquently said, LYS are only trying to earn a living just like everyone else.